Sindhis in Far East- Historic prespective

Eastward, the main thrust of expansion was from Colombo or Calcutta to Singapore where the firrst Sindworkies made their appear-ance in 1873, and from there to the Dutch East Indies.

The pioneering Firm was Wassiamall Assomull, which opened a branch in Singapore in1873 and one in Surabaya around the same time.

In the 1880s, more Sindworkies came to Java; another popular destination in the Indies was the Ost-Kuist of Sumatra near Medan.

A significant Sindworki Firm, still in existence, Jhamatmal Gurbamall, traces its origins to the arrival fromSingapore to Medan, in the 1880s, of a merchant called Jhamatmal Gurbhamal Melwani who earned a fortune in the textile trade and created one of the largest firms in Medan.

Another well-known firm,Khemchand & Sons (then known as K. Hoondamall & Sons) was also founded in Medan in the late 1880s by a merchant called Bhai Khemc-hand Hundamal Mahtani, who then opened a branch in Kobe ands pecialized in the trade between Japan and the Dutch East Indies.